Tim didn't know how long he'd spent standing outside Gibbs' house, but he knew it was a good amount of time given how soaked he was from the rain that poured heavily down on him. When he got to his boss' home, he couldn't bring himself to go inside, or even to knock. He was scared, because no matter what the outcome was, once he had this conversation with Gibbs, nothing would ever be the same again. Yet, he knew the conversation had to happen. As afraid as he was about the changes it would bring, he couldn't live without knowing. He was just having a problem with getting himself to take the next step.

Tim must have made some noise because the next thing he knew, the front door was being opened by Gibbs, who looked to be a mixture of confused, annoyed, and concerned.

"Tim, what the hell are you doing standing out here in the rain? Get inside," Gibbs ordered before taking him by the arm and pulling him in before closing the door. "How long were you standing out there?"

Tim shrugged. "Not sure."

"I could damn well smack you for standing out there like that. Come on," Gibbs ordered before leading the way upstairs and heading for his bedroom.

Tim waited in the hall upstairs for a couple of minutes before Gibbs came back out with some sweats. "Put those on and meet me downstairs."

"Boss, you don't have to…"

"Now, Tim," Gibbs said in a tone that left no room for argument."

"Yes, Boss," he said before taking the clothes and making his way into the bathroom. He got out of his wet clothes and put on the dry ones in about five minutes. After he was done, he slowly made his way downstairs, where Gibbs was waiting for him on the couch. He took a set in the chair next to the couch.

"Talk, Tim. You were standing outside my house in the rain for the reason, which was a dumb thing to do. You should've come inside," Gibbs lectured. Honestly, he wondered if Tim would make his way here eventually. Gibbs had seen the difference in Tim since Stillwater. He was sure the younger agent just felt uncomfortable after leaving that Gibbs knew both his parents. He doubted Tim had come to the same conclusion that he and his father had. He had no reason to come to that conclusion.

"I know. I couldn't bring myself to because I knew things wouldn't be the same again after I did this. Things have been bothering me since we left Stillwater," Tim said.

"I know," was all Gibbs said.

"At first, things just felt a little awkward, knowing that you knew my parents, and had a relationship with my mother. I figured it would go away, but things started to click in my head soon, about things I already knew. I tried to tell myself I was being crazy, like he had always been crazy with the things he said. I didn't think it was really possible," Tim rambled. He knew he probably wasn't making much sense. He probably sounded like Abby when she got excited about evidence she'd discovered. Like her, Tim had a habit of rambling when he was nervous sometimes.

"Tim, you gotta calm down," Gibbs said as gently as possible.

Tim took a deep breath. "Boss, I think I just have to ask this straight away, or I'll never get it out. Could you be my father?"

Gibbs was only mildly surprised by the question. As Tim rambled, Gibbs started to realize that maybe the young agent had come to the same conclusion he had. "Yeah, I could be. I don't know if I am."

Tim let out another breath he didn't realize he was holding in. "You've thought about it?"

Gibbs nodded. "Since I realized you were Clare's son. I did the math. Didn't realize you had too."

Tim laughed bitterly. "The idea isn't as out there to me as you'd think, as it probably should be. It's something I've heard almost every day since I can remember. I just never put much stock into. I thought my father was just paranoid. My mother always played it off as that anyway, and I had no reason not to believe her.

"He said that to you, as a child?" Gibbs asked with an edge to his voice. He always hated John McGee, but it was damn low to take his issues out on a child. Even if McGee was right and Tim wasn't his son, that was not Tim's problem. The bastard had no right bringing him into it that way.

Tim nodded. "Often. Like I said, I thought he was crazy, until I knew there was a real person involved in his paranoia. Even then, I figured it was extremely unlikely. I wasn't even going to mention it, but it just wouldn't leave me alone. I guess you felt the same way, since you never mentioned that you'd thought about it too."

"Actually, it's more complicated than that. I wasn't sure how to handle, or how you'd handle it. Didn't think you had any reason to question your paternity. I didn't want to blow your world apart. Blood or not, McGee acted as your father. I figured he most likely loved you as such, and I wasn't sure if I should risk blowing that up," Gibbs explained.

Tim laughed, though there wasn't a trace of humor in his voice. "That was blown up a long time ago, if it even existed in the first place. I haven't spoken to him or my mother in years. At some point, I just realized that all they contributed to my life was toxicity. If I wanted a life without that kind of emotional pain, I had to cut them out."

"I'm sorry, Tim," Gibbs said. That never should've happened. Tim never should've grown up that way. No child should, but it angered him greatly that his own son might have.

"What happened to not breaking rule six," Tim asked with just a touch of humor in his voice. "You have nothing to be sorry for anyway, Boss. You didn't do it."

"No, I'm sorry that I didn't know. If I'd known you existed, you wouldn't have grown up that way. I would never have allowed my kid to be raised in that kind of environment," Gibbs said.

"I know that, Gibbs. I know you had no idea. Hell, you were as shocked as me when you realized I was the son of two people you knew. But I would've known anyway. I know you. I know you'd never leave your own son. I know you were young, but even then, I could never believe it. And that makes it even worse," Tim said.

Gibbs understood exactly what Tim meant with his last statement. He was angry because if he was Gibbs' son, he'd grown up in a situation he didn't have to. At the very least, he was emotionally abused because of something he couldn't control. That pissed Gibbs off to no end too, and no matter who turned out to be Tim's father, he would make John McGee pay for that.

"What now?" Tim asked.

"You tell me. We'll handle it your way. Do I want to know? Absolutely, but if you'd rather not, I get it," Gibbs said.

"I need to know. I can't keep going on without having that answer. It's already driving me crazy," Tim said.

Gibbs nodded curtly. Inside, he was relieved by the answer. He didn't think he could live without knowing either, but he would've accepted it if Tim could. "Then we'll find out. We'll figure out the details in the morning. You'll stay here tonight."

"Boss, that's not…"

"Not up for discussion," Gibbs interrupted before standing up. "Come on. I'll get the guest room ready."

Tim smiled slightly before standing up and following Gibbs upstairs.